Star Wars with occasional sarcasm

Dunc reads: Mini-reviews of April books

Late again… I have no good excuse. Nor for why I only read three books in the whole month. (I haven’t even finished one in May yet, though I’m working on it.) Stupid sexy internet.

Acacia by David Anthony Durham This top-notch epic fantasy was exactly what I needed after the eye-rolling experience that was my previous read. (Coming up next.) There’s fantastic characters, great worldbuilding, and most tellingly, I don’t have the faintest clue how to write a review. (If I was a squeeing type, there would be squee.) Despite being the first of a series, I did feel like I got enough closure to hold me out until the sequel comes out in September. Just trust me on this one and give a try, particularly if you like your fantasy books big enough to brain a moose. Highly recommended. [Amazon / B&N / Powells]

Red by Jordan Summers I really should have known better than to even pick this up: Urban fantasy of the paranormal romance variety is not really my thing. But I hadn’t found anything else at the library, and I do have a thing for repurposed fairy tales. (And post-apocalyptic settings, but that’s not even mentioned in the cover copy.) And yeah, it looked a bit leather-buttish, but so what?
It wasn’t until I got home that I noticed the man-titty, and I realized what I had. But, what the hell. Broadening horizons! That’s what the library is all about!
So.
This is the kind of book that opens with a graphic rape/dismemberment scene, in first person. It’s also the kind of book where, when the heroine sees the hero for the first time (via picture,) she realizes she hasn’t gotten laid in a while. I’m sure you can guess at the rest.
My overall impression was that it read like the kind of fanfic that’s more concerned with getting folks into bed than the plot. (Well, okay: Exactly like that kind of fanfic.) But honestly, if I’m sitting down to read an actual book, I would rather have more than a cursory bone thrown to world-building and non-genital character development.
If this is your kind of book, maybe you’ll have better luck with it than I. If not, it’s probably best to spare yourself. [Amazon / B&N / Powells]Alternate rec: The early collected volumes of Vertigo’s Fables series offers both repurposed fairy tales and a hard-boiled noir take on the Big Bad Wolf. [Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile: Amazon / B&N / Powells]

It sucked and then I cried by Heather B. Armstrong Heather ‘Dooce’ Armstrong is seriously internet famous. Way back in 2002, she got fired for writing about work on her blog, and ‘Dooced’ quickly became the term of choice for that phenomenon. In 2004 she had a baby and is now known as queen of the mommy bloggers, earning enough ad revenue from her blog to support her family.
I’ve been reading her blog since before even the firing, and despite not really being all that into kids, I enjoy her writing. Heather is funny, sarcastic and takes great photos. And the book isn’t any different: It is, basically, her blog. As a book.
If you’re interested in the subject of pregnancy, motherhood, post-partum depression and can take Armstrong’s often-irreverent style, go for it. However, if you’re a long-time Dooce reader, there’s not really much here that you haven’t already read. [Amazon / B&N / Powells]

In additional news, I’m trying to use my Goodreads account lately. I don’t plan to stop using Flickr for books, but it seemed like a handy thing to have.